Blips on a Screen (Kate Hannigan)

 

I don't know if this could really be considered a biography, but I did read it as part of our biography unit. My class especially enjoyed learning about how video games started. The fact that the person was someone who survived the second world war was also very interesting to my class. 

Goodreads says:

An engaging picture book biography based on the incredible true story of a Jewish refugee who pioneered home video games and launched a worldwide obsession.

Do you ever wonder how video gaming was invented? What came before your PlayStation or Xbox? This is the story of Ralph Baer, a refugee from Nazi Germany, who used his skills--and a lot of ingenuity and persistence--to make life a little more fun.

Television was new when Ralph returned from serving in World War II, but he didn't settle for watching TV. He knew it could be even more fun if you could play with it. He tinkered and tested, got help and rejected, but with perseverance and skill, he made his vision come true! This is the inspiring story of a fearless inventor who made TV video games a reality.

Backcourt Battle (Rich Wallace)

Now that we are no longer at school, reading with my students, especially my struggling readers is a struggle. I've adapted by having a "Morning Warm up" activity each day where I ask them a simple questions or two or have them write something. I always ask the question, "What are you reading today?". I vary the questions:

What are you reading?
What page are you on?
What last happened in your book?
When do you think you'll finish this book?
What do you plan to read next?

I ask those questions because my training has told me that those are the things people who love to read know....they read every day, they can tell you what's happening in their book and they have a rough idea of how long it'll be before they're finished and what they're going to move on to next. 

I had a student who would tell me each and every day that he didn't like to read and didn't have a book and wasn't planning to read a book. After a few weeks of that, I told him that was no longer okay and that I expected him to read (you can do that when you teach 8 year olds....I don't recommend it for older kids LOL). I asked him to pick a book from Epic, a platform that we all have access to while schools are shut down. He picked this book. Each day we each read a chapter independently and would talk about it on Google Meet the next day. The first day he couldn't really tell me anything that happened in the first chapter and my attempt at a conversation went nowhere. We re-read the first chapter together and it was interesting the see the concepts he didn't understand about basketball. He likes to play basketball in the courtyard at recess - but that doesn't mean he knows about shot clocks and 3 point lines and more. We discussed some of those things. After that, he started to take it a little more seriously and we had some good discussions each day! 

This story has a good character lesson and is fun because you get to pick the ending. We had a good debate about which would be the best ending. I think a book like this would also be a good way to talk to students about revising that authors do with their stories. 

Goodreads says:

After the starting point guard sprains his ankle during a game, Jamere steps in until his rival teammate returns for the championship. But with both boys expecting to start in the final game, their coach asks Jamere to decide who will play. The ending is Up2U.

Where's the Baboon? (by Michaël Escoffier)

We thought this would be a really fun read with Reading Buddies. We could read the big words and the grade ones could figure out the little words in the words. Lots of fun! The pictures were very interesting too.

Goodreads says:

Step right up, fearless readers! Today, in this very book, we will PROVE to you that a snake can hide in a snowflake, that pigs can paint, and that the ones who copy the most are not necessarily cats! Prepare to be AMAZED by the game of hide-n-seek the words play! These tricksters are true experts in the art of camouflage!

Michaël Escoffier was born in France in 1970. Raised by a family of triceratops, he discovered his passion for writing and telling stories at a young age. He lives in Lyon with his wife and two children.

Kris Di Giacomo is an American who has lived in France since childhood. She has illustrated over twenty-five books for French publishers, which have been translated into many languages. This is her seventh book with Enchanted Lion Books. 

Jumanji (Chris Van Allsburg)

One things leads to another with stories. This week we read How To Walk an Ant, which reminded some of us of Two Bad Ants, so we had to read that. Once I start reading Chris Van Allsburg, I just can't get enough so today we read Jumanji.

Some kids had seen a Jumanji movie, but not too many. It was a thrill to read this to my class. They gasped at just the right places. It was tense and exciting to watch the story unfold. In the end, everyone gave out a big sigh of relief when the game was finally over....then, those boys! Oh those boys! We hope they learn to follow instructions.

We will definitely read some more Chris Van Allsburg books!

Goodreads says:

Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle-adventure board game. "Mr. Van Allsburg's illustrations have a beautiful simplicity of de-sign, balance, texture, and a subtle intelligence beyond the call of illustration." -- New York Times Book Review

Otis and the Puppy (Loren Long)

We have been talking about making connections to stories. I didn't think this would be a great story for that because it is about a tractor on a farm and I have a bunch of city slickers in my class. However, there was a lot they could relate to in this book: playing hide a seek, getting a new puppy, feeling adoration over how cute a puppy is, being afraid of the dark, etc. It was a great read and we had plenty of connections!

Goodreads Summary:

Otis and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek. Otis especially loves to be "It," finding his friends as they hide. Yet when the newest addition to the farm—a bounding puppy who can't sit still and has a habit of licking faces—tries to hide, he finds his attention wandering and is soon lost in the forest. Night falls and Otis, knowing his new friend is afraid of the dark, sets out to find him. There's just one problem: Otis is also afraid of the dark. His friend is alone and in need, though, so Otis takes a deep breath, counts to ten, and sets off on a different game of hide-and-seek.

From the critically-acclaimed illustrator of The Little Engine that Could,Of Thee I Sing, and Otis, the 2013 Read for the Record selection.